Have you ever wanted to convert some of your old 35mm slides and
negatives to digital images, but found that the process of sending
them to a processor was a bit expensive or the scanner method may or
may not work to your liking?

Not all of us have a built-in 35mm slide/negative converter with
our scanner.

What are the options?

Digital imaging works well with a few tools that are easily
acquired.

Section 1

Some years back, I located a page on the internet that helped me
to convert 35mm slides to usable digital images after purchasing my
first digital camera. Building on the suggestions and techniques of
that page, I have put together a step-by-step tutorial on 35mm
slide/negative conversion.

Converting 35mm Slides to Digital Format

The images on this page were taken with my old Chinon CS 35mm camera. The
camera was used for years with the 55mm lens that came with it. It took fair
to decent images, but lacked the detail of today's lenses and digital systems.

Tools Needed:

1. Light box (I located a 5 x 7 inch one for about $25 on the internet)

2. Tripod (preferably an old one that will allow you to remove the head and put it back on from under the tripod).

3. Heavy duty cardboard, card stock and/or some foam core board. (I have some scraps of illustration board that worked great)

4. Masking tape and X-acto knife

5. A level and table to work on

Image #2

the Light Box

light box

Using the heavy duty cardboard, make a mask to cover the entire
light box screen. This will prevent any extra light from escaping and
causing flares in the digital image.

Image #3

the Slide Mat

slide mat

Using a 35mm slide, trace a replica of the outline on one edge of
the mask (right handed, I utilized the extreme right center). Cut the
square out with the X-acto knife.

Cut a mask out of card stock or heavy paper to tape over this
opening to allow for insertion of the slide/negative. Tape this mask
over the opening.

Image #4

the Light Box and Mat

light box and mat

Now you are ready for the setup and and copying.

Set up your camera on the tripod and place the mat/light box near the
edge of a table (I use my drawing table) and shift the light box so
that the image of the slide/mask is visible in your viewfinder. You
will need to make sure that the camera is level. If not, the image
will be out of focus on one end or another.

A suggestion would be to clean the slide/negative thoroughly
before proceeding for it will be easier than a lot of dust cleanup in
post processing (Trial and error here...my first time, I did not clean
the slides and later wished I had).

I set my camera on the "MACRO" setting and a height of about 6 inches above the light box.

Image #5

the Slide

the slide

Image #6

Completed Image

completed image

You are now ready to shoot the images, replacing each slide in
succession. This process goes surprisingly fast because you are set
up and have to make very few if any adjustments as you work.

Because I recently purchased a Nikon D40x, I have the ability to
shoot in Camera RAW which I strongly recommend for this will give you
an additional tool to make adjustments in Bridge, if using Photoshop.
I run a Mac and I use Elements 4.0.

When shooting the images, I usually allow for some area around the
exposed slide to be left in the image because it will be easier to
adjust and crop at a later time in post processing.

The images can then be uploaded into your system where you can
open them and begin working on them.

Subsection A

Process, with 35mm Negatives:

The process is pretty much the same as above, with the exception
of the conversion in Photoshop/Elements.

Image #7

the Negative

negative

With the negative in position in the matted area of the light box,
you can adjust the position as needed and shoot as many of the negatives on
the strip as needed.

Image #8

Cropped Negative

cropped negative

The images are then uploaded and then the process of conversion can
begin. The image depicted here is the cropped negative which has yet to be altered.
Experimenting with the process, I have tried utilizing the feature:
Enhance >Auto Smart Fix with much of the resultant bluish tinge being eliminated.

Image #9

Negative to Positive

negative to positive

Once the image has been brought into Photoshop/Elements, you will
use the feature: Filter> Adjustments> Invert. You will then have a
crude positive to work with.

Because of the light box, I find that the converted negatives have
a bluish color to them which can be adjusted out using various tools
in Photoshop/Elements.

All that is left now is to utilize some of the magic of
Photoshop/Elements to clean up your new positive.

Image #10

Completed Image

completed image

The process is now complete. With a little patience and experimentation,
you can now easily save many of the old 35mm slides and negatives to digital
format and can have quick access to the images.

From my images, you can see that I used the same 35mm mat to also shoot
the 35mm negative images. With the materials you have on hand, you can make
a new mat, smaller in size, to fit exactly over the negative so that no
light escapes (my slide mat may account for the blue color in the positive).
Again, experiment and you will see good results.

In the long run, this process may save you a trip or two to the local
Wal-Mart to run off a few prints.

I ran off some prints of a few of the images and they were as good,
if not better than the originals I had printed back in the early to mid 1970's.

I did notice that even though negatives were stored away in sleeves in
file folders in my file cabinets, that time had began to discolor the outer
edges of the negatives. Converting them to digital will enable me to preserve
them for years to come.

Happy memories...

Read 28,258 times

From dv2529/Dave (3,575) on September 7, 2007 5:29:25 PM CDT
Thanks for this... you got me thinking about all those old negatives now. For digital SLRs it might be possible to set a custom white balance on the camera using a empty negative and save on some post processing as that should also take into account the colour temperature of the light source used. Probably. Like you say, experimentation!
Reply

From frank983/Joe (13,443) on September 15, 2007 12:26:52 PM CDT
Thanks for the tip Dave. I will try your suggestion the next I set up a batch of negatives to play with. Thanks for reading and responding to the little article. Joe
Reply

From fabricator4/Chris (3,098) on September 7, 2007 11:24:17 PM CDT
The strong blue/cyan colour of the image from negative is because of the orange mask colour of the negative. I suggest you use a blank piece of the processed negative (such as the leader) and do a custom white balance (for jpg shooting). It would be even better to use colour correction filters on the camera or the light source otherwise you may have problems with blue highlights blowing out for the same reason.
Also keep in mind that the entry level Epson film scanners are under $100 now (and probably other brands as well) and do an amazing job.

Reply

From frank983/Joe (13,443) on September 8, 2007 8:48:47 AM CDT
Hi Chris. Thanks for the tips. This is experimentation. My Epson was replaced by a newer model about six or so months back (these things seem to change very often) and I do not have a model that has the built-in film scanner. I paid about $100 for it -- after a discount as a "loyal" Epson owner.
The article was basically written for those who do not have this source and/or want to experiment with an alternative way, sort of like what I did.
The process is actually fun to do.
Thanks for responding and the great suggestions. Lets me know that folks are reading the article. Cheers. Joe
Reply

From korkithecat/Kevin (239) on September 8, 2007 11:29:20 AM CDT
Hi Joe. Very informative to say the least. I may try your system soon just to check on the results. At the moment I use a CanoScan FS2710 which can be bought second hand for around $60! And it does a pretty good job of scanning up to 2700dpi, but is mega slow at that resolution!

I also have a lot of APS films and this Canon has a nifty gadget to scan those too. No blue tint at all....but saying that, your converted image looks pretty good, and as you say it's probably a lot more interesting procedure!

And although I use a Digital Camera sometimes, I still take the bulk of my Photographs using my trusty old Ricoh XR-X 35mm! So I'll be using negatives for a long time to come! Thanks for the info...Kev
Reply

From frank983/Joe (13,443) on September 15, 2007 12:25:49 PM CDT
Good luck Kevin. I have used the procedure a few times and have played around with it. I know that each new generation scanner offers better and better results with slides and negatives, but as mentioned before, this is fun to experiment with. Have fun. Cheers. Joe
Reply

From ernie1one/Randy (190) on February 7, 2008 11:03:10 PM CST
I am totally amazed. I assume that those who read this who have nice scanners just did not comment, because I am used to people being real picky. I have a flatbed scanner and film scanner, and have to say, neither of them does as good a job, in the time that this setup takes. Yes, if you have $$$ and are serious about it, there is hardware out there that is great and fast. And if you are doing pro work, or need large prints, that's the way to go. But for family and everyday use, this is great. I have done similar with an attachment directly for the lens of my old Nikon Coolpix 990, which was perfect because it focuses to 0.75". A couple years ago I used that setup to transfer slides to digital, fixed them up (40 years of smoking residue on them in spite of them being in their cases) and printed 4x6 and 5x7. Brought a tear to the woman, who had never seen these wedding pics because her (deceased) father took slides and never showed them. Keep up the good work, and those who commented, YES! simple is often best. Kind of reminds me of what the late Herbert Keppler might have done to get the needed results.
Reply

From frank983/Joe (13,443) on August 21, 2008 6:55:26 PM CDT
Hi Randy. I have not looked at this article in a while. Thank you for your very kind words. The procedure works nicely for me. I used it again a few days ago after cleaning off some 40+ year old slides. Managed some really nice images.
Reply

From frank983/Joe (13,443) on August 21, 2008 6:56:28 PM CDT
Hi Randy. I have not looked at this article in a while. Thank you for your very kind words. The procedure works nicely for me. I used it again a few days ago after cleaning off some 40+ year old slides. Managed some really nice images.
Reply

From toytrains25/Ed (0) on February 24, 2009 9:05:56 AM CST
Does this method require any special type of digital camera (that is, an expensive one?) I only have a Kodak DX3600 zoom digital camera. Thanks!
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